bignick said:
Exactly, if you only train under these rules you are playing the sport of taekwondo. And if you look at it through the sport mindset the current way is great...and there is nothing wrong with that. But I would rather see people be able to use more of the art of taekwondo.
By talking sbout the rules of WTF kyorugi we are refering to the sport aspect of the art.
Taekwondo is a martial art with different categorys and aspects of the art but we are not talking about them in this thred. I belive that we are talking about competition rules of WTF.
Perhaps it is, but I think I need to say something. I think this is a pretty poor statement. There are WTF schools out there that aren't doing anything that looks like anything like taekwondo. There are good schools and bad schools in every organization. The forms may change, the emphasis may shift, the rules may be different, but it is still taekwondo. Organizations issue and recognize ranks and determine rulesets. That's really it. WTF isn't a style of taekwondo any more than the NFL is a football team. The ATA, KTA, and small schools without affiliation have just as much right to call what they do tae kwon do as the next school. Styles of taekwondo, like Chung Do Kwan, Moo Duk Kwan, and Sang Moo Kwan don't even really exist anymore.
By refering to KTA I belive that you mean Korea taekwondo association. That is a national member organization not a club or style and they are totaly different issue.
I don't eaven want to go to ATA. I mean I don't have any real contact in ATA except from the internet. I have met GM Paul Hong thou. He was nice enough guy but we met only breafly in Kukkiwon. But anywho those camo belts...
If there is taekwondo school that doesent have taegugs and yandja poomsae or ITF tul, then it should not be called taekwondo. It should be called something alse.
If there is a school that has poomsae of them own. they should not be called taekwondo.
If there is a school that does only competition training (starting from the beginners) they should not be called taekwondo. (I can understund if there is a group of fighters who wants to emphasis on fighting but they should practise atleast up to 1.dan to do so)
if there is a school that does only poomsae and not sparring they should not be called taekwondo
If there is aschool that has Kukiwon poomsae and ITF sparring or ITF tul and WTF sparring it could be called taekwondo but they should decide what they want to be or call them selfs something else.
etc...
See my point? Taekwondo is a set and you can't say that you practise taekwondo if you dont do all thats in the set. You can do extra. but you should follow Kukkiwon instructions of taekwondo guidlines. (Or if you are on ITF side. You must follow the teachings of Choi Hong-He.)
And I don't think that we shoulc eaven duiscuss about the KWans of today in taekwondo because they stopped excisting in the 50's.